1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety device for preventing falling. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a segmented safety rail with a moveable trolley engaged thereon that can be used to restrain and prevent maintenance personnel who must perform mechanical repairs on diesel locomotives from slipping or falling off the top of the locomotives.
2. The Relevant Technology
The locomotives used to pull railroad cars are generally divided into a series of serviceable compartments. These different compartments may house electrical or mechanical components of the diesel engine which are separately serviceable. If a particular compartment needs to be serviced, a hatch or roof plate over the compartment can be opened. This provides access into the locomotive or permits the contents of the compartment to be lifted out for servicing. In order to perform such service in a particular compartment, it is necessary for maintenance personnel to get on top of the locomotive to assist in this work. A number of injuries and fatalities have occurred from such personnel falling off the top of a locomotive.
A number of safety devices have been developed to restrain a worker from falling off an elevated structure. These previous safety devices, however, have not addressed the problem of securing a person working on top of a locomotive, which is complicated due to the different designs, models, and manufacturers of locomotives used on railroads. The different models of locomotives in use have smoke stacks and horns in different locations, as well as doors and roof plates that open in different ways and at different locations along the length of the locomotive. In some locomotives, fans and other engine assemblies are pulled out from the top of the locomotives. While all locomotives are approximately 6 feet wide, various models have different lengths.
Accordingly, there is a need for a safety device for preventing falling of maintenance personnel that can be used on the various models and designs of locomotives in operation.